[ParlTrack]

Gabriele BISCHOFF, Paulo RANGEL, Rainer WIELAND, Gwendoline DELBOS-CORFIELD, Helmut SCHOLZ, Geert BOURGEOIS

Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that the sanitary crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed that its Rules of Procedure ~~did not provid~~require fmor ~~all appropriate measures in order to facilitate the~~e developed procedures in order to ensure the unlimited functioning of Parliament in different types of extraordinary circumstances;

2020/09/24
Committee: AFCO

Gabriele BISCHOFF, Paulo RANGEL, Rainer WIELAND, Helmut SCHOLZ, Gwendoline DELBOS-CORFIELD, Geert BOURGEOIS

Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Takes not~~Underlines the importance of the temporary measures adopted, in compliance with the rule of law, by its President and its governing bodies in the current sanitary crisis, in order to cope with such extraordinary circumstances; ~~underlin~~stresses that there were no alternatives to those measures ~~were nee~~in ordedr to guarantee the continuity of Parliament’s business, as required by the Treaties, and that they allow~~ing~~ed Parliament to carry out its legislative, budgetary and political control functions during the crisis in accordance with the procedures provided for by the Treaties;

2020/09/24
Committee: AFCO

Gabriele BISCHOFF, Paulo RANGEL, Rainer WIELAND, Gwendoline DELBOS-CORFIELD, Helmut SCHOLZ, Geert BOURGEOIS

Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Recogni~~Stresses that those temporary measures were fully justified and that they ensured the validity of all votes taken during their period of application;

2020/09/24
Committee: AFCO

Geert BOURGEOIS

Title XIII a (new)

TITLE XIIIa: EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES

2020/09/24
Committee: AFCO

Geert BOURGEOIS

Title XIII a (new) – rule 237 a (new)

Rule 237a Extraordinary measures 1. This Rule applies to situations in which the European Parliament, due to exceptional and unforeseeable circumstances beyond its control, is hindered from carrying out its duties and exercising its prerogatives under the Treaties in accordance with Parliament’s usual procedures set out elsewhere in these Rules. In these circumstances, a temporary derogation from the above usual procedures and the adoption of extraordinary measures may be necessary to enable Parliament to carry out those duties and to exercise those prerogatives. Such extraordinary circumstances shall be considered to exist where the President, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, comes to the conclusion, on the basis of reliable evidence confirmed, where appropriate, by Parliament’s services, that it is or will be impossible or dangerous for Parliament to convene in accordance with its usual procedures as set out elsewhere in these Rules and its adopted calendar. 2. Where the conditions set out in paragraph 1 are fulfilled, the President may decide, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, to apply one or more of the measures referred to in paragraph 3. Where the conditions set out in paragraph 1 are fulfilled and it is impossible or dangerous for Parliament to convene physically or by remote connection in accordance with its adopted calendar, the President may decide, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, to apply the measures referred to in paragraph 3(a). If it is impossible, due to reasons of imperative urgency, for the Conference of Presidents to convene, the President may decide to apply one or more of the measures set out in paragraph 3 points (a), (b) and (c). Such a decision shall lapse five days after its adoption unless approved by the Conference of Presidents within that deadline. The decision by the President, approved by the Conference of Presidents, shall be submitted to the next plenary for approval. Each of the measures taken shall be put to the vote separately. No amendments may be tabled. If a measure fails to obtain a majority of the votes cast, it shall lapse after the announcement of the result of the vote. A measure approved by the plenary may not be the subject of a further vote during the same part-session. A political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold may, at any time, request that some or all of the measures taken under paragraph 3 of this rule be submitted to the next plenary for approval. The vote in plenary shall be placed on the agenda of the first sitting following the day on which the request was tabled. No amendments may be tabled. If a measure fails to obtain a majority of the votes cast, it shall lapse after the announcement of the result of the vote. A measure approved by the plenary may not be the subject of a further vote during the same part-session. 3. The decision referred to in paragraph 2 may relate to the following appropriate measures in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2, to the extent that they are suitable, necessary and proportionate: (a) postponement of a scheduled part- session, sitting or meeting of a committee to a later date and/or cancellation or limitation of meetings of inter- parliamentary delegations and other bodies; (b) displacement of the part-session, sitting or meeting of a committee from Parliament’s seat to one of its working places or to an external location or from one of its working places to Parliament’s seat, to one of Parliament’s other working places or to an external location; (c) holding of the part-session or the sitting on the premises of Parliament but fully or partially in separate meeting rooms allowing for appropriate physical distancing; (d) holding of the part session, sitting or meeting of bodies of Parliament under the remote participation regime laid down in Rule 237c; 4. A decision referred to in paragraph 2 shall be limited in time and shall state the reasons on which it is based. It shall enter into force upon its publication on Parliament’s website or, if circumstances prevent such publication, by the best available means. All Members shall also be informed individually of the decision without delay. The decision may be renewed by the President, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, in accordance with the procedure under paragraph 2 once or more for a limited time. A decision to renew shall state the reasons on which it is based. The President, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, shall revoke a decision adopted under this Rule once it is no longer suitable, necessary and proportionate. 5. Given that this Rule provides for an exception to Parliament's usual procedures, it shall be strictly interpreted and applied. Application of this Rule shall not lead to any breach of representative democracy, bearing in mind the uniquely representative nature of Parliament, the principle of equal treatment of Members, the right of Members to exercise their parliamentary mandate without impairment, their right to speak in one of the official languages of the European Union and their right to vote freely, individually and in person. The democratic and transparent functioning of the European Parliament shall be respected in all circumstances and all its Members shall be treated equally.

2020/09/24
Committee: AFCO

Geert BOURGEOIS

Title XIII a (new) – rule 237 b (new)

Rule 237b Impairment of the political balance in Parliament 1. The President may, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, adopt the necessary measures in order to facilitate participation of Members or a political group concerned if, on the basis of reliable evidence, the President comes to the conclusion that the political balance in Parliament is severely impaired because it is impossible or dangerous for a significant number of Members or a political group to take part in Parliament’s proceedings in accordance with its usual procedures as set out elsewhere in these Rules. The sole aim of such measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall be to allow the remote participation of Members concerned by the application of selected technical means under Rule 237c(1) or by other appropriate means serving the same purpose. 2. The President may, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, adopt the measures provided for under Rule 237a(3), point (a) if, on the basis of reliable evidence, the President comes to the conclusion that the political balance in Parliament is severely impaired because it is impossible or dangerous for a significant number of Members or a political group to take part in Parliament’s proceedings, in person or by remote connection, in accordance with its adopted calendar. 3. Measures under paragraphs 1 and 2 may be adopted if a significant number of Members are affected by exceptional and unforeseeable circumstances beyond their control. In assessing whether a significant number of Members are involved, severe impairment of the political balance shall be the decisive factor, in line with the principle of degressively proportional representation set out in Article 14 TEU. Measures may be taken in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2, to the extent that they are suitable, necessary and proportionate. 4. Rule 237a(2), third fourth and fifth subparagraphs, and the rules and principles laid down in Rule 237a(4) and (5) shall apply accordingly.

2020/09/24
Committee: AFCO

Geert BOURGEOIS

Title XIII a (new) – rule 237 c (new)

Rule 237c Remote participation regime 1. Where the President, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, decides under Rule 237a(2), to apply the remote participation regime by adopting a measure under Rule 237a(3), point (d), Parliament may conduct its proceedings remotely inter alia by permitting all Members to exercise their parliamentary rights by electronic means. Where the President, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, decides in accordance with Rule 237b that selected technical means under the remote participation regime are to be used, this Rule shall apply only in so far as it is suitable, necessary and proportionate and only to the Members concerned. The remote participation regime shall ensure that : - Members are able to exercise their parliamentary mandate, including, in particular, their right to speak in plenary and in the committees, to vote and to table texts, without impairment; - all votes are cast by Members individually and in person; - the remote voting system enables Members to cast ordinary votes, roll call votes and secret ballots; - a uniform voting system is applied for all Members, whether present or not on Parliament’s premises; - translation and interpretation services are provided to the greatest possible extent; - the information technology solutions made available to Members and their staff are ‘technology neutral’; - participation of Members in parliamentary debates and votes takes place using secure electronic means that are managed and supervised by Parliament’s services. 3. When taking the decision referred to in paragraph 1, the President shall, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, determine whether that regime applies to the exercise of Members’ rights in plenary only, or also to the exercise of Members’ rights in Parliament’s committees and/or other bodies. The President, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, shall also determine in his or her decision how rights and practices which cannot be exercised appropriately without the Members’ physical presence are adapted for the duration of the regime. These rights and practices concern, inter alia: - the manner in which attendance at a sitting or meeting is counted; - the conditions under which a request for a check of the quorum is made; - the tabling of texts; - requests for split or separate votes; - the allocation of speaking time; - the scheduling of debates; - the presentation of, and objection to, oral amendments; - the order of votes; - the deadlines and time limits for the setting of the agenda and for procedural motions. 4. For the purposes of the application of the provisions of the Rules relating to quorum and voting in the Chamber, Members who are participating remotely shall be deemed to be physically present in the Chamber. By way of derogation from Rule 171(11), Members who have not spoken in a debate may, once per sitting, hand in a written statement, which shall be appended to the verbatim report of the debate. Where necessary, the President shall, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, determine the manner in which the Chamber may be used by Members during the application of the remote participation regime, and in particular the maximum number of Members who can be physically present. 5. Where the President, with the agreement of the Conference of Ministers, decides in accordance with paragraph 3, first subparagraph, to apply the remote participation regime to committees or other bodies, paragraph 4, first subparagraph, shall apply, mutatis mutandis. 6. The Bureau shall adopt measures concerning the operation and security of the electronic means used under this Rule, in accordance with the requirements and standards laid down in paragraph 2. 7. Parliament’s competent bodies shall take all measures, including financial measures, necessary to ensure the availability of state-of-the-art technology and optimal conditions for the effective implementation of Rules 237a to 237d. To this end, they shall comply in full with the principles of sound administration and diligent financial management.

2020/09/24
Committee: AFCO

Geert BOURGEOIS

Title XIII a (new) – rule 237 d (new)

Rule 237d Holding of the plenary sitting in separate meeting rooms Where the President, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, decides in accordance with Rule 237a(3), point (c), to allow a plenary sitting of Parliament to be held in whole or in part in more than one meeting room, including, where appropriate, the Chamber, the following rules shall apply: - the meeting rooms used in this context shall be considered to collectively constitute the Chamber; - if necessary, the President may, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, determine the manner in which the respective meeting rooms can be used, in order to ensure that physical distancing requirements are respected.

2020/09/24
Committee: AFCO

Geert BOURGEOIS

Title XIII a (new) – rule 237 e (new)

Rule 237e Parliamentary business during a period of extraordinary circumstances 1. Without delay after the adoption of a decision by the President under Rule 237a(2), the Conference of Presidents shall issue general guidelines for those activities that are essential and urgent for Parliament during the period of extraordinary circumstances referred to in Rule 237a(1). Those activities shall include measures that need to be taken with regard to the extraordinary circumstances, to budgetary matters, to urgent legislative procedures or to major political events. 2. During the period of validity of a decision adopted under Rule 237(2), the parliamentary business conducted in part- sessions and committee meetings shall, in principle, be limited to the consideration and adoption of measures identified as essential by the Conference of Presidents in accordance with paragraph 1. A committee, political group or a number of Members reaching at least the low threshold may at any time request the Conference of Presidents to consider an activity as essential. Where the Conference of Presidents rejects such a request, it shall state its reasons for doing so.

2020/09/24
Committee: AFCO

Activities of Geert BOURGEOIS related to 2020/2098(REG)

Shadow reports (1)

Amendments (9)

ParlTrack - 2011-2024